Paolo Gentiloni, the Italian PM, meets Angela Merkel. Merkel said EU states would show a united front.
Photograph: ddp USA/Rex/Shutterstock

Germany has denied it rebuffed an attempt by Theresa May to seal an early deal on citizens’ rights post-Brexit, and reiterated that there was “complete unanimity” among the EU’s 27 member states that the subject could only be discussed once Britain had triggered article 50.

The Tory MP Peter Lilley told the Brexit select committee on Wednesday that Germany was one of the two countries the prime minister was referring to when she said in her Brexit speech on Tuesday she could not get full support from the 27 remaining member states for a deal on the rights of EU citizens in Britain and UK nationals on the continent.

“We want to guarantee the rights of EU citizens who are already living in Britain and the rights of Britons in other member states as early as we can,” May said in her speech. “I have told other EU leaders that we could give people the certainty they want straight away, and reach such a deal now. Many of them favour such an agreement – one or two others do not – but I want everyone to know that it remains a priority for Britain.”

A spokeswoman for Angela Merkel rejected claims that most other leaders had been willing to sign an early reciprocal deal on migrants’ rights, stating there was “complete unanimity” that such negotiations could not take place until article 50 was triggered.

“The 27 heads of state have already made clear in their joint statement on 29 June 2016 – so immediately after the referendum – that participation in the single market goes hand in hand with all four freedoms of the single market, and on this question all member states are unanimous,” said the German chancellor’s spokeswoman, Ulrike Demmer. “There is also complete unanimity that there can be no pre-negotiations with Great Britain before notification.”

Speaking at a joint press conference with the Italian prime minister, Paolo Gentiloni, Merkel said May’s speech had clarified how the UK would conduct its negotiations but European states would show a united front. “We agreed we will coordinate our positions,” said Merkel. “In relation to our economies, I’m not afraid. I think we’ll stick together. Europe must not be divided and we will make sure this doesn’t happen by keeping very close contacts with each other.”

The prevailing view among officials in Berlin is that even though Germany and Britain have roughly equivalent numbers of emigrants living in each other’s countries – and therefore a joint interest in securing their rights – agreeing on an early deal would be more easily said than done.

There is also concern among the EU 27 that early negotiations would risk sowing divisions before article 50 is triggered since some countries, such as Poland, have large numbers of their citizens living in the UK while others, such as Spain, play host to large numbers of British citizens.

Speaking after the Brexit select committee, Lilley said his understanding was that Germany had not rejected a specific offer, but that it was opposed to opening single-issue talks before article 50 had been triggered. “It may have been that they said everything should be discussed together – in other words, they could not negotiate as a single country – that everything had to be as part of the group of 27,” he said.